


With You

by Icyhot_Alchemist



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but mostly - Freeform, but that's kind of background, crap I don't know how to tag this, feel free to hate this, kind of, my kink is the healthy processing and expressing of emotions, soft ishigami senku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 13:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21075731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icyhot_Alchemist/pseuds/Icyhot_Alchemist
Summary: Gen finds Senku, but something's wrong with their usually fearless leader. Naturally, he takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of it.





	With You

**Author's Note:**

> Ah yes. I know I said I'd leave this fandom alone, but I'm back on my bullshit.  
Soon. Soon you'll have peace.  
Not that it's important, but the title is a reference to the song "With You" by Dave Hause, which was kind of the catalyst for this fic so there ya go. It doesn't really have anything to do with the fic itself, but his music is great so I thought I'd share.  
Feel free to make fun of my taste in music and how incredibly OOC this is in the comments!  
Enjoy!

It was an unusually nice day out, Gen thought to himself as he wandered around the village. Technically, he was on a mission to find Senku, but it wasn’t anything too pressing, and the autumn sunlight felt too good to not take a minute to enjoy. So his search for the scientist was taking a little longer than strictly necessary.

He made his way over the suspension bridge, glancing over the edge to see the sun glitter across the river below. He gave a short greeting to Kinrou and Ginrou standing vigilantly at the bridge entrance, continuing on his way to the small cluster of buildings Senku and Chrome used as their science headquarters.

He spotted Chrome in front of the lab doing… something… with a fire and what looked like some sort of purple powder. Chrome looked a little too excited about whatever he was doing for Gen’s liking. Senku was really rubbing off on that kid. Gen approached the self-proclaimed ‘sciencer’ slowly, clearing his throat loudly when he was still a few feet away so as not to catch the other off guard. Chrome whipped around and gave Gen a small, excited wave.

“Oh, hey Gen! What’s up?”

“Hello Chrome. Is Senku hiding around here somewhere?”

“Not that I know of, no. I think the last I saw him, he was heading up to the observatory? But that was a while ago and I’ve been pretty busy, so I don’t know if he’s still there.” Gen glanced up at the observatory, squinting slightly against the sun glinting off the lens of the homemade telescope.

“I might as well check it out. Thanks, Chrome.” Gen threw a wave over his shoulder as he turned away, already making his way toward the observatory. He quickly climbed the ladder, only almost dying once on the step magma had accidently broken a few weeks back and no one had gotten around to fixing. He knocked on the door frame a few times out of respect, just in case Senku was actually in there, before entering the building.

It took a minute for Gen to register that Senku was in fact there. The room seemed empty at first, but upon closer inspection Gen noticed a familiar pair of red eyes watching him from the desk. Senku was sitting at the desk they had built for him, leaned forward with his arms stretched out in front of him. He had his chin propped on the table, face upturned at what had to be an incredibly uncomfortable angle to stare at Gen standing in the doorway. Senku raised his fingertips in a tiny wave before letting his hand fall limp against the table and shifting to rest his cheek against the table, staring blankly at the wall instead of the doorway.

“Hey Senku. What’s up?” Senku just hummed in lieu of an actual response, not moving from his sprawl. Gen had never seen the other look so tired and, well, lifeless. Usually he was sketching blueprints and mumbling to himself or moving excitedly around the lab, mixing something or other and causing small scale explosions. Gen couldn’t think of a time he had seen Senku so quiet and still, except for when he was recovering from said small scale explosions. Even then, they usually had to force him against his will to lay down and relax long enough to recover properly.

“What’s this? Even the great boy genius Senku gets stumped from time to time?” Senku didn’t respond, instead just rolled outstretched hand over to lazily flip Gen off without looking up. Gen chuckled and made his way inside the observatory, closing the door gently behind him. 

He was worried. This kind of behavior was incredibly out of character for the scientist and Gen was determined to get to the bottom of it. It wouldn’t be good for the morale of the villagers to see their scientific leader so down.

Well, it wasn’t like Gen didn’t have a vested interest in cheering the other up. He didn't exactly enjoy seeing Senku so down either.

“What’s up, oh fearless leader? Working on the kingdom of science’s next big, should-be-impossible-but-isn’t-because-it’s-you invention?” Senku groaned and folded his arms under his head, burrowing his face into them. Gen glanced around the room, searching for clues that may tell him what was wrong with Senku. Everything seemed normal, the various bottles and diagrams Senku and Chrome kept in the observatory still in their usual places.

Gen stepped further into the room. His eyes bounced from surface to surface when they finally landed on a thick glass disk sitting on the edge of the desk, inches from Senku’s hand.

The record.

So that’s what was bothering him.

“Something on your mind, Senku?”

“No.” Gen could barely make out the word since it was grumbled into Senku’s arms.

“You sure? Not dwelling on anything in particular lately?” He hopped up to sit on the edge of the desk next to Senku’s head, careful not to disturb the man or anything scattered on the surface. Senku’s back rose and fell as he sucked in a long breath before pushing himself up and leaning back in his chair with his head tipped back, staring at the ceiling.

“Our world really is gone, isn’t it?” Gen raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Did the last year or so without electricity and indoor plumbing not tip you off?” Senku leveled him with a cold glare.

“Fuck off, Gen,” Senku hissed. “You know what I meant.”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Or maaaaybe it’ll help to say what’s bothering you out loud.” Senku grumbled something under his breath that Gen couldn’t quite hear, but didn’t need to to know that it was probably some permutation of ‘shut up, shitty mentalist.’ The scientist tipped his head back up toward the ceiling and folded his arms across his chest. 

“I’ve been so focused on advancing science and moving our little society forward to get it back to where it was, I don’t think I ever really took the time to think about the fact that no matter what I did, no matter how much we advance society, it would never be back to what it was.

“Hearing Bakuya’s record, I think it finally made me stop and think about the fact that even if I create a world that looks exactly like the one we knew, it’ll never be anything more than a close approximation. Things – people – that we knew won’t be there. And logically, I knew that all along. But I think this is the first time it’s kind of set in.” Gen could see Senku’s hand clench into a white knuckled fist at his side, and wanted nothing more than to reach out and ease the tension he saw tightening the other’s shoulders and jaw. But he remained silent and unmoving, opting instead to let Senku continue on his own. 

“I don’t know why it’s bugging me so much. Like I said, logically I already knew it.”

“You know It’s okay to take some time and mourn Bakuya’s death, right Senku? Logically, we all know our loved ones will eventually die, but that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. You’re allowed to be upset.” Senku rolled his head forward, his eyes obscured by shadow and hair. But his hand and jaw were still clenched, betraying the emotions he was trying so valiantly to hide.

"No one will fault you for being upset. And this may not be comforting but I'll say it anyway. The society we achieve may be nothing but a copy of the one we knew and it may never be exactly the same, and the people in it won't be the ones we knew, but," Gen paused, watching Senku’s reaction closely, "there will be new people. People we never would have known in the old world. We would have never met Chrome, Kohaku, Suika, any of the villagers. I never would have met you."

They fell silent, both lost in their respective thoughts. Gen was brought out of his reverie when Senku unfolded his arms and started absentmindedly running his hand up and down the back of Gen’s calf. Eventually, Senku seemed to reach a conclusion in his own thoughts and nodded a few times before taking a long breath and looking up at Gen, giving his leg a light squeeze as he spoke. 

"You're right. It's kind of hard to keep that in mind all the time, but you're right. I think," Senku trailed off, pausing to collect his thoughts before continuing. "I think not having anyone to talk to about the past has made this all harder. Since I left Taiju and Yuzuriha, I didn't know anyone from my time until you came along. Sure, I could tell people here all about where I was from - god knows how many hours I've spent talking Chrome’s ear off - but it's different somehow from having someone who I could turn to and go 'hey I have a song stuck in my head. You know… that one?'"

"Got a song stuck in your head?" 

"It's just an example," Senku huffed.

“In my experience, sometimes a little reminiscing can help. Dwelling on the past can definitely hold you back, but sometimes, you have to take some time to think about the past in order to keep moving forward. I think I had it better than I realized being in Tsukasa’s kingdom when I was restored. Even though none of us really knew each other before, we all had been through the same thing and could lean on each other in the beginning. 

“So, if you ever want to reminisce a little about bad TV or the wonders of modern cooking or even your family, I’m always here.” Senku huffed a small laugh and started gently massaging Gen’s calf. 

“That day with the ramen, when I heard you say cola, I about lost my shit. I didn’t want to get my hopes up that someone else like me had wandered into the village, but I couldn’t help but hope anyways.” Gen chuckled and took a moment to remember their first meeting.

“Shit, now I want a cola.”

“It’s been a while, huh? I should make you some more sometime soon.”

“You don’t have to do that, Senku. I know you’re busy.”

“But I want to.” Senku leaned forward again and rested his elbows on the edge of the table. He reached out and took Gen’s hand between both of his. He turned it over and gently ran his fingertips along Gen’s palm and fingers, staring intently as if he was studying the bone structure within.

“I miss goggles.”

“What now?”

“Goggles. Like lab goggles.” Gen felt a laugh bubbling up in his chest but quickly coughed to cover it up.

“Really, Senku? Lab goggles? You don’t exactly strike me as the poster child of lab safety.”

“Well first of all, never fuck around with lab safety. Second of all, it’s more because I want to give a pair to Chrome than anything else. So I can put my mind at ease and not have to constantly worry about him getting too close to something and going blind.” This time, Gen didn’t manage to cover up the small laugh that spilled out.

“Always so worried about your son. You’re such a doting father, Senku,” Gen laughed. “He’s more resilient than you give him credit for. After all, he did manage to avoid accidentally inhaling sulfuric acid before you came along.”

Senku’s head snapped up and he stared at Gen with a wide-eyes. Gen could feel Senku’s hold on his hand tighten reflexively.

“Why would you say something like that to me?” he whispered. Gen laughed and twisted his hand to interlock his fingers with Senku’s, giving his hand a quick squeeze.

“I’m saying he’s resilient! Not that I think he’d die without you. I didn’t mean to imply anything bad about your son, Senku.” Senku stuck his tongue out at Gen and leaned forward to pillow his head on his folded arms again, releasing Gen’s hand in the process.

"I do wonder sometimes how he hasn't," Gen heard Senku mumble against the table. 

Gen chuckled and reached out with his freed hand to run it through Senku’s hair, earning a pleased hum in response.

The scientist’s bizarre green and white hair was always softer than he expected it to be. When he first joined the kingdom of science, he had spent countless hours dogging Senku about what he was using as a hair product in the stone world. Senku insisted that his hair just naturally stuck up like that, but Gen refused to believe him. Finally, one day, Senku got annoyed with Gen’s nagging and grabbed his hand and shoved it into his hair to prove that it was product free. Somehow though, the softness of the other’s hair managed to surprise Gen every time.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Gen gently running his fingers through Senku’s hair and Senku periodically making small, appreciative sounds until Gen broke the silence.

“You care so much about everyone, it’s quite inspiring, Senku.” Senku hummed and shrugged his shoulders as much as he could in his current position.

“According to Tsukasa, that’ll be my downfall.”

“Do you think it’ll be your downfall?”

“No,” he finally responded after a moment of thought. “I don’t think I could do this alone. Well, maybe I could. But there’s no way I would be moving at the speed we’re moving at.” He paused for a minute and turned his head to the side, peering up at Gen out of the corner of his eye. “Plus, I don’t think I’d want to do this without everyone here. Without you.” It was impossible to tell from his position, but Gen was almost certain he could see a smile on Senku’s lips. Senku turned his head back into his folded arms and shifted into a more comfortable position. They lapsed back into silence for a moment until Gen spoke again.

“For the record, I think you could have done it alone. But I’m glad you’re not. I’m glad I get to be a part of this.” Gen glanced down at the other when he didn’t receive so much as a grunt of acknowledgement. Senku’s breathing had evened out and his eyes were closed, his expression relaxed.

Gen smiled to himself. Senku deserved the rest, and probably desperately needed it. Gen ran his hand through Senku’s hair a few more times before the sound of the observatory door opening pulled him back to the present.

“Hey Senku! Gen never came back down here, so I’m assuming you’re up here too! Do you have- crap, sorry!” Chrome’s boisterous entrance quickly trailed off into a squeaked apology when he noticed Senku asleep at the desk and Gen shushing him with a gentle smile.

_“Is he okay?”_ Chrome mouthed while pointing at Senku. Gen nodded and finally removed his hand from Senku’s hair.

“Just resting,” he whispered in response. He felt Senku’s shoulder tense under his hand and felt a brief moment of guilty panic until he realized the other was just adjusting and hadn’t actually woken up. Chrome nodded and gave him a quick smile and a thumbs up before closing the observatory door as quietly as possible. 

Gen silently slid off the desk and turned back towards Senku, just taking some time to appreciate his calm, fully relaxed state. He shrugged off his purple robe and carefully draped it over Senku’s shoulders. It wouldn’t be enough to really keep him warm if it got cold, but in Gen’s mind, it was the thought that counts.

Plus, it made him undeniably happy to see Senku wrapped in it.

Senku huffed a little in his sleep and he grabbed the edge of the robe, subconsciously pulling it around himself a little tighter. Gen smiled and grabbed the spare chair from the edge of the room, pulling it up to the desk directly across from Senku’s. He leaned forward and pillowed his head on his folded arms, mirroring Senku’s position. They would probably both wake up sore from sleeping hunched over like that, but that didn’t even cross Gen’s mind. 

All he could think about was how good a midafternoon nap with Senku sounded.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen y'all apparently I just want Senku to process emotions in a healthy way and for Gen to help him and for them to be soft. That's not in character.  
But..... Soooooooft.  
Feel free to send me hate mail on tumblr @icyhot-alchemist  
Thanks for reading!


End file.
